Mary Soulsby

Mary Soulsby was the Labour Party MP for Tyneside from 1992, succeeding Claudia Seabrook. Soulsby first entered politics with the Labour Party, serving as secretary of the constituency Labour Party (CLP) in Tyneside under MP Arthur Watson. She later became sympathetic to New Labour, and she was elected an MP in 1992.

Biography
Mary Soulsby was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England to a working-class Catholic family. She was childhood friends with Nicky Hutchinson, and they were in a relationship for several years; they ultimately split up in 1964 due to Hutchinson's refocusing on political activism and his decision not to join Soulsby in attending university. Soulsby instead began a romance with Tosker Cox, a friend of Hutchinson's best friend Geordie Peacock; Cox impregnated Soulsby during their first night together, necessitating their marriage. Soulsby gave birth to two children, and she raised the family at a highrise council flat on Willow Lane. Tosker worked at a factory for years, initially being the sole provider for the family; however, he also committed many infidelities, causing a strain on his marriage to Mary. Mary later became involved in politics, serving as secretary of Arthur Watson's constituency party (the Tyneside CLP) by the 1974 general election. Soulsby credited Watson's Labour Party friend Austin Donohue with doing several good things, including providing Tosker and Soulsby with their first apartment. In 1979, she ultimately agreed to Tosker's request for a divorce, taking the children with her and starting a new life. She was elected the Labour MP for Tyneside in the 1992 general election, and she was sympathetic to the New Labour movement under Tony Blair. In 1995, she re-entered into a relationship with Nicky after years of simply being close friends.